The Billionaire's Brother's Baby

9) Eyes wide closed

Ares' POV

When I pulled up to my house and saw my brother's car parked outside, I knew I was in for an earful.

Slowly, I climbed out of my car, locking it behind me.

He sat on my step, his hand braced against his chin. He purposefully ignored my gaze, like a scolded child, and I looked upon him tiredly.

"Cal, I just saw you a few hours ago, if you missed me that much, you could've just called."

"Where have you been?"

I furrow my eyebrows, shifting my weight from one foot to the other.

"I wasn't aware that I had to report my whereabouts to you." I folded my arms upon my chest, and clenched my jaw.

"What're you doing, Ares?"

"I'm trying to get into my house."

His head snaps towards me, a harsh scowl on his face.

"You know what I mean. Now's not the time to be playing dumb."

"What has got you so wounded up, Cal?"

"How about the fact that you're taking on a pregnant woman -"

"Hold on, a pregnant woman? Cal, she's having my baby."

Cal runs a hand through his hair.

"Why would you entertain that idea?"

I stare at him incredulously.

"Are you only hearing what you want to hear? That's my child, Cal. What do you like me to do?"

"You don't know this woman, Ares. You don't know a single thing about her -"

"I wouldn't say a single thing."

"-yet you're going to start an entirely different commitment with her. You're not thinking straight this isn't some fairytale."

I clasp my hands together in front of me, raising my chin.

"Yes, and what would you suggest, Cal?"

"That I . . . Force her to have an abortion? That I send her away and tell her to raise our child on her own? This isn't the 1800s, women have rights."

"Yeah well money still talks," Cal folds his arms high up onto his chest, and looks around. I could tell that the words about to leave his mouth, wasn't anything I was looking forward to.

"Pay her off."

I take a deep breath, before stepping aside.

"Go home."

"For once in your life can you just be serious about something!" He exclaims.

"I am serious!" I snap, my chest rising and falling. "I am taking care of Charlene and my baby, and there's nothing you can say that will stop me from doing so. How are you so . . . Absorbed with getting daddy's approval that you've forgotten that the world does not revolve around you and him?"

Cal is taken aback, and as a result he remains quiet.

"You can do the honors and let them know as well - but I didn't have to tell you that, did I?"

I take a step back, before opening my door, and beat a single finger against the wind as I turn to look at him again.

"Oh, and I won't say this again - that you should stay away from Charlene. Maybe now you understand your place. Or understand that what you did this morning before I arrived is unacceptable, and I will not tolerate it."

With my keys in my hand, I enter my house slamming the door behind me.

As if my mind wasn't heavy enough the last thing I needed was my idiot brother hounding me for the choices I made. I knew my father would have much more to say and him, I would avoid as much as possible.

I peel off my jacket, and walk to the confines of my room. I hadn't seen this predicament, I must admit. Charlene had been slowly seeping out of my mind in the weeks I spent in Asia. It's a mystery how the world works - so much so that she'd be in the office the second I returned.

She looked exactly the same. Not that one can change drastically after three weeks, but I thought that with the time passed, and with a sober mind, she would change at least in my eyes.

Charlene had a smile so gentle, it would make my heart burst into a million pieces. The manner in which she spoke, her reasoning, her will, I couldn't believe that with all the women in the World, I found someone like her.

The fact that she was carrying my child didn't help my case much. I . . . Was smitten.

I make my way downstairs, into my basement, and into my weapon room. The cooled room held my entire collection of guns - and my main office where I kept a back up of all my files.

Truly we had a lot more to discuss than whether or not we're keeping the baby. Pregnancy is one thing but we had an entire future to map out. It was confusing, I can only imagine that neither of us knew what exactly we wanted to do about our own relationship if we could call it that.

I would get to know her, the mother of my child, and she in turn would get to know me.

I sink in my office chain, laying all of my weight on it as I rubbed my chin.

If it could remain that simple, I'd be glad. But my family would cause turmoil in our arrangement, I was sure of it. I wanted to keep Charlene clear of it, and all costs, and that's what I'd do.

But if by some lapse she'd  be touched  by any of their parasitic ways, I'd be quick to cut the infectious hand.

That was a promise.